This self-monitoring tool can help manage the challenge of effects from HMD that vary from day to day. We can practice good self-care and also help those who care about us if we develop the habit of assessing ourselves each morning and communicating our “score” to others. Here’s a scoring system that you can adapt for yourself and download to print:
|
Level of Pain |
||||
| Low | Moderate |
High |
||
| Amount of Sleep | Fully rested |
A |
B |
C |
| Some sleep |
B |
C |
D |
|
| Little sleep |
C |
D |
F |
|
| Score |
Circumstances |
Implication |
| A | Feel good; well-rested; relatively pain free | May be tempted to walk further or stand longer than is really comfortable, so need to monitor self in order not to over-extend |
| B | Somewhat rested; pain low to moderate | Able to handle everyday tasks without negative consequences if stop walking or standing while still in comfort zone |
| C | Not very rested; likely to have difficulties | Need to be selective about activities that involve walking or standing |
| D | Not very rested; pain may interfere with concentration & produce irritability | Need to be careful not to overextend or to be cranky inappropriately with others |
| F | Not very rested; pain intense; pain will interfere with concentration & result in irritability | Need to restrict walking & standing as much as possible; consider rescheduling activities to another day |